The Nation, Kenya
June 23 2006
Port acts on Artur containers
Story by PATRICK MAYOYO
Publication Date: 06/23/2006
CID and Customs officers are compiling a list of all cargo linked to
the deported Armenian brothers which has arrived at the Mombasa port.
At the same time, the verification of two other containers linked to
Mr Artur Margaryan and Mr Artur Sargsyan have been suspended until
the inventory is ready.
A Kenya Revenue Authority official told the Nation yesterday that
details of 29 containers linked to the Armenians had been found.
"Manifests filed by clearing and forwarding agents with us show
that there are 29 containers which have been imported by Kensington
International Ltd, some of whose directors are the Artur brothers,"
he said.
Once the inventory is ready, he noted, KPA would carry out "a 100
per cent verification" to establish if the containers had contraband
goods and if there were cases of undervaluation and false declarations.
"Once the inventory exercise is over, we are going to involve all
government agencies in the verification exercise so as to eradicate
inconsistencies," he added.
On Friday, Trade ministry officials complained about what they termed
exclusion from the verification of a container linked to the deported
Arturs.
The officials said the department of weights and measures was not
involved in the verification although their department handled false
declaration cases.
"All matters related to false entries on import declaration forms
are dealt with under the Trade Descriptions Act, and this was not
the case with the Artur brothers’ container," they said.
Besides KRA, government agencies supposed to be involved in the
check are the weights and measures department and the Kenya Bureau
of Standards.
Other government officials have questioned why the brothers’
container opened on Friday was not subjected to total verification
as is required.
"A 100 per cent verification requires that all goods being subjected to
such an exercise are removed from a container and a stock taken before
being returned into the container, but this is not what happened,"
one of them said.
During the verification, all the goods were removed, but they were not
checked item by item, or stock-taking done before they were returned
into the container, he added.
But KRA defended itself, saying that it was not compulsory for all
goods to be verified and an inventory done.
Questions were raised also over why the container bottom was not
inspected as there were suspicions that it had a false compartment.
In a separate development, port detectives said they were waiting
for instructions to start investigating a firm supplying goods to the
Nakumatt supermarkets chain following reports of massive tax evasion.
"We’re yet to get instructions to commence the investigations following
the disclosure in Parliament of rampant tax evasion," one said.